A world away from Monopoly, we take a peek at the growing board game culture in the city.

It’s Thursday evening, and in the basement of a Bandra café, Karan Vashisht of Mumbai Board Gamers explains the rules of Condottiere (a board game where players vie to acquire four connected provinces in 13th century Italy) to a diverse group of six — that ranges from an office-goer to a 16-year-old student to a foreigner. “Can the season of spring trump winter?” a concerned gamer asks for clarification. Vashisht obliges and explains some more, after which he turns and shares, “I think it’s okay if I don’t explain anymore. They look like they can figure it out by themselves now”.

This is a typical weekly public meet-up organised by Mumbai Board Gamers, a board gaming community which was founded in 2012 and is currently run by Vashisht and two other gaming enthusiasts. Vashisht and his fellow organisers collectively own 500-odd game, most of which have been picked up by them while traveling abroad. “I once got stuck at the customs because I was bringing back a huge board game that was shaped like a coffin — that was a little awkward,” he says.

Over the last five years, many such gaming communities have popped up in the city, owing to the fact that board game lovers have discovered a rich realm of fascinating games beyond Monopoly. This Saturday, Tabletop India hosted a large meet-up at YWCA in Colaba to celebrate International Tabletop Day (Apr 29), which included a tournament of the wildly-popular Settlers of Catan. ‘Tabletop’ is just another word for any game played on a flat surface — from cards to dice to tile-based games. “I had no idea these games existed — eight-hourlong games where you can build space empires,” says Aniceto Pereira of Tabletop India.

There are many reasons why these communities are quietly thriving. One of them is the element of fantasy. “In World of Warcraft, I am a strong warrior; in Dungeons & Dragons, I’m a half-elf warlock — but as you can see, in real life, I obviously don’t know how to wield a sword,” laughs Apar Maniar, a 41-year-old game designer. Maniar fell into the world of tabletop gaming while he was completing his masters in game design from Massachusetts State University in 2005.

For some, it’s the social aspect of tabletop gaming that is attractive. “The best appeal about these communities is that I get to meet a lot of new people,” says 32-year-old Niyati Khadgi, who attends one to two gaming sessions per week in the city. Khadgi was introduced to public gaming sessions first in Singapore three years ago. “Unlike here, tabletop gaming is incredibly popular there, especially at cafés. There would be times when it was impossible to get a table. They see it as a form of intellectual entertainment,” she says.

Others find the break from constantly staring at screens a relief. Tushar Magam, a 33-year-old photographer, discovered this while researching for creative activities for kids and families, inspired by his own childhood experiences. “My intention was to focus on a digital detox. I’ve see so many families, sitting in restaurants, hooked onto their phones and iPads, with little to zero interaction with the person next to them,” he says. According to Magam — who also volunteers to teach games at Mumbai Board Gamers — this kind of gaming builds social bonds and it is also creatively engaging. Also, in online gaming communities, people can misbehave and hide behind anonymity; there is more decorum when people play face-to-face at these sessions. “That doesn’t mean things don’t get heated up,” adds Magam. “I once saw a guy stand up and throw away the pieces of Game of Thrones, a really cut-throat game, because a few other players were ganging up on him, but that’s the extent of it.”

For Kushal Shah, the founder of The Tabletop Nerds, comfort is the key. “We customise private gaming sessions at home or sometimes even for corporates. It’s just a more convenient option,” he says. He charges approximately Rs 250 per person for a session — though the prices might vary based on gameplay hours, number of people and location. “Whatever we earn, we invest in buying games. We used to charge Rs 150, but last year, the dollar shot up, and since most of the games are imported and expensive, we had to hike up our price”. The Tabletop Nerds organise a minimum of two such sessions per week. They are currently planning on introducing a gaming library in Mulund next week on a trial basis — as a cheaper alternative to gaming in cafes and restaurants — where people can rent or play board games.

Nowadays, plenty of cafés and pubs have a stack of games that people can play for free. However, the variety (most places have common games such as Jenga and Uno) and the quality (more often than not pieces and cards are missing) leave a lot to be desired. Also, for long gaming sessions, one would have to keep on ordering for food and drinks. “My cafe is purely for games — not F&B,” says Riddhi Dalal, owner of Creeda Board Game Cafe at Fort. “Of course, there are drinks and snacks — most of which are air-fried so that the grease won’t spoil the games,” she adds. Dalal’s passion for board games led her to open Creeda in 2015. Here, people are charged for time, not for food — Rs 180 per hour on weekdays and Rs 250 per hour on weekends for each individual. While there are strategy game and party game experts at the cafe who help pick games and explain the rules, most days Dalal offers her own recommendations from a choice of 300 games. “There was an initial barrier — in India people can’t fathom paying for playing board games they can’t even own,” she says. “But these games are expensive, many are around Rs 4,000 and up. I feel a sense of achievement when I see families, college kids, and even senior citizens come and play here now.”

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